May 14, 2014
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An RQ-4 Global Hawk. / Air Force Staff Sgt. David Dobrydney, AP

by Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

by Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

The U.S. military is flying some of its most advanced spy planes in search of the girls kidnapped by militants in Nigeria, according to a senior defense official.

The high-flying drone, Global Hawk, has been joined by MC-12 Liberty aircraft, which have pilots and a crew, to vacuum up images and communication signals, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the aircraft the military has deployed. Neither aircraft is armed.

The military is not sharing intelligence collected directly with the Nigerian government, Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday.

"We are not sharing the raw intelligence data," Warren told reporters. "We are working closely with the Nigerians to establish intelligence-sharing protocols. We're also establishing a baseline. But as of now, we are not directly sharing that information."

The Global Hawk has the ability to stay aloft for more than 28 hours and beam back imagery and communications data that it has snatched to analysts on the ground. It can fly as high as 60,000 feet. The Liberty aircraft were developed as part of an urgent effort under former Defense Secretary Robert Gates to rush more spy planes to Iraq and Afghanistan. Along with drones, Liberty planes helped U.S. and allied troops track insurgents and find roadside bombs before they detonated.